Forum:United States Senate elections, 2008
:From the DSCC Open Seats - Currently held by Republicans *Colorado Rep. Mark Udall (D) vs. Rep. Bob Schaffer ® Mark Udall's campaign has gotten off to a roaring start, raising money, launching TV ads, and gaining support in the polls. He's building on a decade-long record of results, including leading the charge to convert the Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant into a clean and vibrant wildlife refuge. Meanwhile, Schaffer has spent the last few months dealing with revelations that a tropical vacation was bought and paid for by a front group for convicted Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff. The DSCC will make sure every Colorado voter knows all about it when they head to the polls on Election Day. *New Mexico Rep. Tom Udall (D) vs. Rep. Steve Pearce ® Earlier this month, Pearce emerged victorious from a contentious Republican primary, thanks to help from anti-government zealots at Club for Growth. Now, our right-wing opponents have their sights set on Tom Udall, Mark's cousin, who is running ahead in the polls. Udall has already launched two campaign ads and has built a larger campaign war chest than both Republican candidates - combined. Even Sen. Ensign, the national chair of the Republican Senate campaign, thinks Pearce will lose. He told reporters last week that New Mexico is a low priority for him and that the party shouldn't waste money on races they can't win. However, we cannot get complacent. The early polls show that New Mexico is all but certain to be a key battleground state in the presidential election and will get plenty of attention from all corners. The DSCC's job is to make sure neither the Club for Growth or any other third-party organizations can't sink our chances. *Virginia Gov. Mark Warner (D) vs. Gov. Jim Gilmore ® Mark Warner left the Virginia governor's mansion with an 80% job approval rating. He is consistently polling ahead of Gilmore by double digits, and he holds a whopping $5 million cash-on-hand advantage. Just last week, Warner launched his campaign's first TV ad, focusing on his record of bipartisan problem-solving. He's even earned endorsements from two Republican former state legislators. Needless to say, this is one of our best pick-up opportunities this cycle. Sitting Incumbents *Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens ® vs. Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich (D) You don't find a vulnerable 40-year incumbent every day. But ethics and corruption charges have wreaked havoc on the Alaska Republican Party and put Sen. Stevens on the ropes. Mark Begich is well-known statewide and recent polling pegs his favorability rating at 58%. Some public surveys even show Begich holding a slight lead in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to defeat a 7-term incumbent. Our chances here are buoyed by a recent DSCC poll that shows Alaska will be a presidential battleground state. Barack Obama trailed by only 2 points. That's amazing if you consider that John Kerry lost here by 25 points in 2004. Obama is sure to pour plenty of resources into the state, and that can only help Begich stay competitive. *Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell ® vs. Bruce Lunsford (D) Sen. McConnell knows he's in trouble. As Republican Minority Leader, he's the one blocking progress on all the key issues, from health care to global warming to the housing crisis. His schtick just isn't tolerated any more, even in a conservative state like Kentucky. Bruce Lunsford, on the other hand, is a life-long Kentucky business leader who has created more than 60,000 new jobs. The polls between him and McConnell are still close, even though the incumbent has already poured more than $2 million into campaign ads to rehab his image. Six months ago, no one thought Kentucky would be competitive. But we've got the right candidate and the right strategy, and we're going to send a clear message to our opponents by taking the fight right to their leadership. *Maine Sen. Susan Collins ® vs. Rep. Tom Allen (D) Sen. Collins likes to portray herself as some kind of moderate, but the truth is that she's always been a reliable vote for George Bush's failed policies. She even voted in favor of an open-ended American commitment in Iraq by opposing a timetable for withdrawal. Now, Tom Allen is ready to hold her accountable for her steady support of Bush. *Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman ® vs. Al Franken (D) Minnesota Republicans underestimated Al Franken. The polls show this race to be a dead heat, and Franken has begun to show a slight fundraising advantage against Sen. Coleman. He'll need that edge to win in November. It's a good thing too. Coleman has proven himself to be out of touch with Minnesota voters, having voted with George Bush 86% of the time, including key votes in support of the Iraq war and drilling in ANWR. *Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker ® vs. Gov. Ronnie Musgrove (D) Let's be honest. Earlier this year, the pundits didn't give us a chance at putting a Democrat into Trent Lott's old seat. But a huge Democratic victory in a recent special congressional election has the prognosticators changing their tune. Now, Ronnie Musgrove leads in the latest polling, and Sen. Wicker, having only served for 6 months, doesn't have all the usual incumbent advantages. This one could be primed for an upset. *New Hampshire Sen. John Sununu ® vs. Gov. Jeanne Shaheen (D) The Granite State has been trending Democratic for years and is now one of our best pick-up opportunities. Jeanne Shaheen has been hammering Sen. Sununu for standing with the Bush administration and holds a sustained lead in a series of polls. She even out-raised the entrenched incumbent in the most recent campaign filings - no mean feat. The DSCC has been tracking this race from the beginning. We've already launched an online ad campaign to show New Hampshire voters how Sununu accepted $220,000 in campaign money from the oil and gas industries, even though we all are suffering through record-breaking prices at the pump. New Hampshire is another presidential battleground state and the Senate race will go right down to the wire. The work we do here won't just add to our Senate seat haul, it will also help put Barack Obama into the White House. *North Carolina Sen. Elizabeth Dole ® vs. State Sen. Kay Hagan (D) Pundits called this one the sleeper race of the cycle because Sen. Dole wasn't supposed to be vulnerable. But Kay Hagan has been surging after winning the Democratic primary. Several polls showed her within striking distance or even slightly ahead of the incumbent. Dole panicked and quickly rushed to launch a statewide TV campaign. She's got a huge campaign war chest, so this is sure to be just the start of Dole's efforts to rehab her image. The DSCC's job is to level the playing field and give Hagan everything she needs to keep fighting. *Oregon Sen. Gordon Smith ® vs. State Speaker of the House Jeff Merkley (D) There's no need to wait any more for the Senate races to get going. In Oregon, we're already at full-throttle. Before last month's Democratic primary was even settled, Sen. Smith launched an attack ad targeting Jeff Merkley. Immediately, the DSCC jumped to respond to the attacks with a TV ad of our own. We won't cede an inch in this already hard-fought race. This might be the hottest Senate race in the country right now, and it's only going to get hotter. Obama polls strongly in Oregon and the momentum around electing a Democratic president is sure to spill over to other races. With a little luck, we'll send Merkley to Washington as part of a gridlock-proof majority who end Republican obstructionism. Stay tuned.